THE USE OF HETEROGENOUS (MURINE) HYPERIMMUNE ANTISERA IN B-SA IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE OF ENCEPHALITOZOON-CUNICULI ANTIGENS IN RABBITS

Immunocompetent mice of the C57BL6 colony were experimentally infected with Encephalitozoon cuniculi to produce hyperimmune antisera. The mi ce were six times immunized intraperitoneally with doses of 6 x 10(6) agent spores in a single 0.5 mi volume of PBS at three-day intervals. An indirect immunofluorescence of antibodies was performed for the det ection of immunological responses to the infection. The IFAT IgG titre s obtained were from 1: 1,024 up to 1: 4,096 on the 19th day after the first inoculation. Clinical signs and pathological changes in the mic e were observed. Histological sections of the liver, kidneys, spleen, brain, and lymph nodes from the rabbits infected naturally and experim entally with E. cuniculi were examined immunohistochemically. The spor es were demonstrated by means of the Biotin-Streptavidin Amplified per oxidase detection system using heterogenous murine hyperimmune antiser a. Numerous microsporidia were found in the inflammatory granulomas of the rabbits examined. Spores were mostly localized inside the macroph ages within parasitophorus vacuoles. B-SA immunohistochemistry using b iotinylated heterogenous murine anti-Encephalitozoon cuniculi IgG, des cribed in this work, appears to be a suitable method of confirmation i ntravital diagnosis of the infection by detection of the parasite anti gens in tissues.